LEADERS ARE PURPOSEFULThese verses are about incarnational theology. Paul could not separate
himself from his vision and calling as an Apostle of Jesus Christ. This is
a revelation and teaching that is unique to Christianity. The Bible tells us
that Jesus Christ was “The Word made flesh” that came to earth to “...
dwell among us” (Jn. 1:14). Just as Jesus gave living expression on earth
of the true and living God, the leader is to give living expression of his
vision. He is to incarnate...flesh out...live out his vision. A vision must
be both verbalized and visualized. To quote Richard Phillips:
Here is a lesson for leaders. You cannot fake it. You have to be in
order to do. In order to inspire the hearts of others, you must first
have a passion for an ideal greater than yourself.^26A leader’s vision and purpose focuses and motivates him. It is a leader’s
vision that causes him or her to have a strong work ethic. One common
characteristic to all successful leaders is their passion for work. They see
work as a blessing rather than a curse. The French language has a good
expression of this. They refer to this motivating vision or purpose of an
individual’s life as their ‘raison d’être’ or reason to be. No leader who has
matured in his vision has any hesitancy in answering what their raison
d’être is.
“I’ve had my share of dreams and my
share of nightmares. I have survived
the nightmares because of my dreams.” 2 7
(Dr. Jonas Salk)Vision also leads to suffering. A leader should be willing to suffer for his
vision. If a vision can be fulfilled without sacrifice, then it is not a very
worthy vision! If a vision is not worth giving your life for – then it is
not a God-size vision! All true vision requires sacrifice – and the greater
the vision, the greater the sacrifice. John Maxwell expresses it this way: “A
leader must give up to go up.” He also goes on to say that, “In order for a
leader to stay up, he must give up even more.”^28 Sacrifice for the vision is not
a one-time experience – but a lifestyle. Like everything else worthwhile
in life, sacrifice is both a crisis and a process. Leadership is based upon a
continuous giving up of your life...your time...your talents...your resources...
your sleep...your free time – your all!